“The porters: the children of Shallum, the children of Ater, the children of Talmon, the children of Akkub, the children of Hatita, the children of Shobai, an hundred thirty and eight.”
"the gatekeepers, the descendants of Shallum, the descendants of Ater, the descendants of Talmon, the descendants of Akkub, the descendants of Hatita, the descendants of Shobai, one hundred thirty-nine." The enumeration of gatekeepers from multiple family lines (totaling 139) indicates that temple gate-keeping was organized by family guilds that maintained their identity and function across the exile period. The distribution of gatekeeper responsibilities among multiple families prevented concentration of control over temple access.
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